Netflix is reportedly “pursuing” Barry Bonds and “trying to sign” CC Sabathia as it begins MLB coverage; The Walt Disney Company board reportedly did not discuss spinning off ESPN to CEO candidates; and The Baltimore Banner will cover D.C. sports. Plus news on ESPN, Dani Wexelman, Jim Miller and John Tesh.
Netflix reportedly looking at Bonds, Sabathia for MLB coverage
Netflix is pursuing former San Francisco Giants OF Barry Bonds for its Major League Baseball coverage, according to a report by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic Wednesday. While an agreement has not yet been finalized, the all-time home run leader would likely join on-site pregame and postgame coverage of the MLB Opening Night game, which pits his former club against the New York Yankees. Bonds, one of the most controversial figures in baseball history during his career, has not previously been part of national MLB coverage.
Netflix is also reportedly attempting to sign Hall of Fame SP and former Yankees ace CC Sabathia to be part of coverage as well. Sabathia has limited television experience, contributing to some studio coverage on both YES Network and MLB Network since his retirement following the 2019 season. Bonds and Sabathia would presumably work with Elle Duncan, the former ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor who Netflix signed as an on-air host last December.
In addition to the Opening Day game, Netflix will air coverage of the Home Run Derby and Field of Dreams Game this season, all of which will be produced in partnership with the production team from MLB Network. Netflix inked a three-year agreement with MLB worth a reported $35 million annually, part of a broader media rights negotiation that included NBCUniversal and ESPN.
Beyond the presence of Duncan, Netflix has yet to announce any of its on-air plans for MLB events throughout the year. The company has utilized Ian and Noah Eagle for the past two seasons as play-by-play voices for its NFL Christmas Day games.
Disney board reportedly did not discuss possible ESPN spinoff with CEO candidates
The Walt Disney Company board did not discuss spinning off ESPN with its candidates for the CEO position, according to a report by Alex Sherman of CNBC. While there has been recent speculation about spinning off ESPN, Sherman wrote that lack of discussion is “probably a pretty good indication that nothing will happen there anytime soon.” Disney named Josh D’Amaro as the successor to Bob Iger last week, and he will officially start as CEO on Wednesday, March 18 with an intended nomination to the company’s Board of Directors as well.
Disney said in its annual report for FY 2025 that the primary ESPN channel had 61 million subscribers, per Nielsen Media Research estimates (9/2025) based on MVPD and vMVPDs. The company’s Sports segment, which includes domestic and international ESPN businesses, generated operating income of $2.9 billion, a 20% improvement from the previous year, while staying relatively flat with $17.7 billion in revenue. Disney ceded 8% of its ownership stake in ESPN as part of its deal to acquire NFL Network, other media assets and linear television distribution rights to “NFL RedZone.”
Comcast-owned NBCUniversal recently spun off a majority of its cable networks into Versant, a new publicly-traded company that, at its investor day, forecast between $1.85 billion and $2 billion in adjusted EBITDA in 2026. Warner Bros. Discovery also has plans to spin off its cable networks into Discovery Global, which it expects to hold $17 billion of debt “as of June 30, 2026.” WBD plans to merge studio and streaming assets with Netflix in an all-cash deal worth $27.75/share.
When Disney CEO Bob Iger mused publicly about spinning off linear networks in 2023, he notably excluded ESPN. And even the other linear networks were eventually deemed important to Disney’s overall strategy. “You know, we’re very focused,” he said in an interview on CNBC last June. “We will have, interestingly enough, a linear television business that’s paired with a streaming business, so when you think about it, these spinoff companies won’t have the assets from a streaming perspective that we will have.”
The Baltimore Banner to cover D.C. sports
In the wake of The Washington Post shutting down its sports department, The Baltimore Banner is adding coverage of Washington, D.C. sports teams and plans to hire journalists to produce the content, editor-in-chief Audrey Cooper announced on Thursday. The outlet plans to add beat coverage of the Nationals and Commanders and cover other teams in the area.
“Our research and internal data show strong interest in coverage of these teams, and we know that excellent sports journalism drives reader engagement and subscriber retention,” Cooper wrote. “Widening our scope of coverage benefits our current readers as well as future ones: The Washington-area teams have large fan bases in the Baltimore area, and vice versa.”
The Baltimore Banner currently employs beat reporters for the Orioles and Ravens, and it also recently announced plans to provide news coverage in Prince George’s County. Cooper said that its coverage of Washington, D.C. sports will begin soon with stories from Nationals spring training in West Palm Beach, Fla. The digital publication first opened its doors in 2022 and is owned by The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism nonprofit organization.
Layoffs by The Washington Post resulted in sports reporters and editors either being reassigned within the organization or losing their jobs entirely. National baseball writer Chelsea Janes was among those impacted, but she has since joined SNY as its new MLB insider, a role previously held by Andy Martino. While speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn acknowledged the newspaper layoffs, and the team left three front-row seats vacant that would have been filled by now-former Post reporters Tashan Reed, Tom Schad and Barry Svrluga.
Plus: ESPN, Dani Wexelman, Jim Miller, John Tesh
- ESPN has premiered a new studio show titled “NFL Draft Daily” that will air weekdays at 3 PM ET on ESPN2, the ESPN App, Disney+ and Hulu leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft in late April. The draft-focused studio program, which was a component in the network’s media rights renewal for the annual event, is hosted by Field Yates with a rotating analyst roster that includes Louis Riddick, Mel Kiper Jr., Mike Tannebaum, Jordan Reid and Matt Miller, along with reporting from Adam Schefter.
- Dani Wexelman is joining the St. Louis Cardinals broadcast team as a host and reporter as the organization prepares for its first season of MLB producing and distributing its local broadcasts. Wexelman has been holding roles with SNY and SiriusXM in recent years, and she previously co-hosted the MLB digital show “12:25 Live” with former Cardinals host/reporter Alexa Datt, who is now working on broadcasts for the Washington Nationals.
- SiriusXM NFL radio host and former NFL QB Jim Miller is no longer working with the company after a 13-year stint, it was announced earlier this week by co-host Pat Kirwan, per a report by Sam Neumann of Awful Announcing. The circumstances around Miller’s exit remain unknown after he had been slated to take part in SiriusXM’s coverage around Super Bowl LX.
- John Tesh will perform “Roundball Rock” — the theme music for NBA’s NBC broadcasts — live from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., during Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game. It will mark the first time he performs the theme song “live inside a sports arena.” NBC Sports is airing the All-Star Game for the first time in 24 years.
